Local councils call for more money for integrating care

Local authorities have urged the UK government to inject extra funds into integration of health and social care, amid stark warnings that 2015-16 will be a crunch year for financial risks.

The Local Government Association has backed a proposal from the health think tank the King’s Fund for a new “transformation fund” to be created, as a senior NHS leader warned that NHS trusts’ finances could “go out of control” next year.

The association’s chairman, Merrick Cockell, said that about £2bn (€2.5bn; $3.3bn) was needed to ease short term disruption as new service models were created that would give people a “smooth care journey from diagnosis to treatment and beyond.” He also said the proposed Better Care Fund, comprising £3.8bn of council and NHS money pooled for closer working and reducing hospital admissions, which is due to come into effect next April, should be beefed up and made into a …